The Theory:
Driving through mud is a cross between walking on ice and floating over quicksand. But proper preparation will ensure that you don't get stuck.
The most important aspect pertaining to mud traction is the choice of tires fitted to the vehicle. Regardless of what type of mud and what width tires are fitted, the tread pattern needs to have large lugs to allow the tire to 'clean' itself. The tire cleaning aspect is one of the most important for mudding. If they don't clean themselves, the lugs fill with mud and the tire becomes a 'slick' with little chance of getting traction. No traction equals no forward motion and it's all over from there. Dedicated mud tires have large open spaced lugs to keep the tire clean.
As far as mudding is concerned, there are a couple of different theories out there to best tackle your mud obstacle. Different types of mud require different driving techniques and equipment. Some types of mud have a greasy top layer with a hard pan surface underneath, while other types can be a bottomless pit of gooey mush. We break these down into two categories.
- Mud that has a hard bottom layer below it
- Bottomless mud pits that have no hard pan below (at least not reachable by our mud machine)
In the first case, mud with a hard bottom layer is best suited to narrow tires to allow them to cut through the top layer to bite the hard surface below. Wide tires in this situation tend to float on the greasy top layer without reaching the hard surface underneath. In this case, it is best not to deflate your tires. Ever seen those big 4x4 1-ton truck guys that swear they can go through anything? We don't completely buy into this theory, but they will overcome semi-deep mud, provided they cut through the top layer of muck and get traction on the hard pan below. The shear weight of their rides and vehicle clearance helps to accomplish this.
For serious off-roading though, this is usually not the case. Most of the time weight is the disadvantage and flotation is the advantage. The thick bottomless pit mud tends to favor wide tires as they give flotation. Deflating your tire pressure will assist in providing additional flotation properties.
If you examine the serious off-road and mud drag machines, they usually have been gutted out and equipped with tall and wide performance mud tires. They are usually lifted as well. This is done all 'float' on top of the muck. They will effortlessly cross their mud obstacle because they have all the necessary ingredients. Why? They are light weight by design which equates to good flotation. They have tires that have excellent mud gripping and cleaning characteristics. Their tires are wide to help flotation, and tall to give clearance. They have added ground clearance so that their machine doesn't begin to drag, because that's like throwing out the anchor.
While there is a lot of difference between an all out mud machine and factory vehicles such as the Jeeps, Toyotas and ZR2's, those factory vehicles use this idea to their advantage, simply because of their light weight design. Now to take this idea one step further, at one of the last mud drags we attended, we saw a Polaris snow mobile make a run. It's crazy, we know, but it performed better than 80% of the vehicles there. Why? It had little weight, a wide surface foot print, and kept its speed up to float on top and clean its belt. It simply floated over the mud and walked away with one of the best time slips.
What you don't see is heavy weight lead sleds equipped with all sorts of vehicle accessories such as tool boxes, full front end grilles, roll bars, side bars and every bar in the book. (And if you do, they are easy stuck, bottoming out because they have failed to maintain flotation and have become high centered) Some enthusiasts even prefer not to mount a winch on the front, because of the additional weight added, especially over the vital front tires.
Mud Driving Techniques:
Unlike some other types of terrain, mud-driving techniques vary on the type of mud. Most important though is to keep your speed up, especially in very thick mud types, to clean those tires! If you stop moving, then stop spinning your wheels, because at that point you are just digging a hole.
Reducing tire pressures help in 'bottomless' mud. It has been stated that a reduction in tire pressure of 25-30% can make an improvement in traction by 250%. Mud also tends to hide obstacles such as tree roots and sticks just waiting to slash your sidewalls. So, it is best to reduce tire pressures some in order to give the tire more flexibility and grip around those objects. By reducing the pressure, you can avoid the tire puncture. It will also give you a slight increased tread area, so will help with the flotation of your vehicle.
Driving on the peaks between tire tracks can provide firmer ground, as water tends to collect in the wheel tracks. Though sometimes the existing wheel tracks have cut through to the firmer surface underneath and provide the best traction. But be sure your vehicle has the clearance to do this. As soon as you high center, the adventure is sure to be over.
Moving the steering wheel left to right about 90° from the center can help the front wheels bite into the mud in search of traction. But do not turn the wheel too for as you can end up making things worse. Front wheels are key in pulling the vehicle and cleaning the way for the rear tires. The side to side turning enables the front wheels to generate extra friction and assist in pulling the vehicle forward.
If you become stuck, first try to back out. Secondly, try to rock the vehicle back and forth in forward and reverse directions. Finally, use an alternative recovery technique. The easiest method is an alternate vehicle to help pull you out. Tow straps are excellent choices as they provide that energy momentum without the sudden jolt of a chain. Winches are a smart choice as well. If you are a sole vehicle, then concentrate on the wheels that are stuck, and place suitable material underneath them to provide traction (i.e. boards, gravel, or branches). This is easily accomplished with a shovel and high lift jack.
As you have probably gathered by now, mud driving is unpredictable and you need to have a knowledge of different driving techniques to know which one to apply in each situation. What doesn't change is the need to have good mud tires with big self-cleaning lugs and good recovery equipment.
Summary of deep mud situations (the must haves):
- Good mud tires with cleaning characteristics
- Flotation, accomplished by a wide tread design and light weight.
- Speed. Mud cleaning is vital. Speed is also related to power. If you can't turn those big 38 inch tires because they bog down, it is just a matter of time before the lugs fill and its all over.
- Vehicle Clearance, the more the better. Suspension lifts are good. Body lifts don't do much for ground clearance
Essential Equipment:
Before beginning any mud bogging adventure, it is important to have the proper equipment and essential items:
- Good Mud Tires, with excellent cleaning characteristics.
- A tow strap/chain or other recovery device such as a winch
- Tow hooks mounted on your vehicle
- A shovel and high-lift jack
We recommend you have tow hooks mounted on your ride, because that makes pulling a breeze. We also recommend if you are tackling serious obstacles, to venture out with your friends, especially if you are new or unsure of your vehicle's limits. There is nothing worse than being stuck in the middle of nowhere without help, because odds are the cell phone tower won't cover that territory either.
Additional Driving Tips:
Turn on your windshield wipers before slogging through a big mud puddle. The wipers may not be able to handle a thick layer after it accumulates.
If you think you may have to winch out of the mud hole backward, run your winch cable under your rig before you enter the sticky stuff. Hook it to your receiver or rear bumper. Then you won't have to lie down full length in the mud trying to get the cable under your rig if you get stuck.
If you get stuck, there is no sense in continuing to spin your wheels. The longer the vehicle continues to spin its tires without moving, the longer the recovery time will take!
